PRINCE WILLIAM SOUND COMMUNITY COLLEGE

Transcription

1 PRINCE WILLIAM SOUND COMMUNITY COLLEGE Parkland Illustrative Map Key:. * * N PWSCC Warehouse PWSCC Student Housing 36 Prince William Sound Community College Note: The sizes, shapes, and locations University of all facilities improvements of Alaska Anchorage are very approximate.

2 This Campus Facility Master Plan provides flexible recommendations for guiding PWSCC facility growth over the next five to ten years 6. Master Facility Plan The recommendations in this section are intended to provide planning guidance for PWSCC s main campus site and facility improvements over the next five to ten years. The section specifically addresses Universityowned parcels in Valdez, followed by a brief mention of leased campus facilities in Cordova and Copper Basin and rural outreach campus sites. The PWSCC illustrative map (left) features campus facility expansions and improvements that may occur between 2009 and The map also presents ideas for site enhancements associated with the City of Valdez Barney Meyring Park Strip that reflect the inter-relatedness of the college and surrounding park, which could be completed by the city or jointly with the college. Recommendations are categorized to respond to the UA Board of Regents Master Plan Policy Criteria ( B). Program Demands The Valdez PWSCC campus is anticipated to have flat or declining full-time student enrollment into the foreseeable future. Program expansion, where identified as a priority, is also not likely to create strong new facility demands on the Valdez campus. In several key areas however, existing and anticipated demand could require expansion of existing Valdez campus facilities in the next five to ten years: - Expansion of wireless and off-campus rural outreach sites, with increased need for IT staff, equipment and support services in Valdez. - Expansion of student services to address the growing need for more comprehensive academic and career advising, counseling, mentoring, and tutoring. A new learning center area with private rooms and online library resources is anticipated to serve this need. - Expansion of corporate training and job-specific certification programs, particularly related to marine industries and environmental technology. A valuable on-site improvement in support of this would be a large classroom (60-80 capacity) that could also be broken down into smaller rooms. - Trade and vocational classes to address the changing job market and economy (potentially in conjunction with or at regional high schools). Campus Facility Master Plan Section Six - Master Facility Plan 37

3 Land Acquisitions/Disposals The Valdez campus has room for needed facility expansions, and no land acquisitions are recommended. Formal arrangements, however, could be initiated to re-locate the snow storage easement off-site to create additional room for future development, or to accommodate parking needs associated with building expansions and resulting dislocation of existing parking. UA owns significant land resources in the region, which could potentially be used in trade. The University will consider acquisition of properties in the proximity of campus that support the programmatic or strategic needs of the Campus. Examples include, but are not limited to: program support space, research space, recreation, student housing, warehousing and parking. Additionally, although no land disposal is anticipated, the University will dispose of land and/or facilities on or in the proximity of campus that no longer support the programmatic or strategic need, or cost more to renew than is economically feasible. Demolition Currently no demolition is anticipated on the Valdez Campus, although some internal walls are likely to be moved to respond to space need re-allocations. That said, given the age of the main building and its infrastructure (44 years+), demolition may become cost effective or necessary at some point, although this is not anticipated during the life of this plan. As part of the Capital Plan the University will compare major upgrade costs to the cost of demolition and new energy-efficient construction. utilities. Continue to inventory the condition of all capital assets and update the capital plan as required. This will help PWSCC anticipate and forestal problems, and allow cost savings if improvements can be scheduled in tandem with City of Valdez public works projects while the contractors and equipment are locally available. New Building Locations The illustrative campus map, page 36, anticipates construction of an expansion connected with the existing building, to the north of the main building. This might provide a larger classroom, learning center, commons and/or other potential uses. Additional indoor space could also be captured by converting the south entryway adjacent to the museum into an indoor space. A new covered patio is anticipated associated with Student Housing. In addition to these expansions, ongoing building upgrades and maintenance, and improvements to energy efficiency will be key issues for the aging facility. Landscaping Snow storage associated with the easement on the campus site creates a challenge for landscaping. Unless the easement is vacated, landscaping should be either located in removable planters, be located well away from areas where plowing occurs, or should be used in protected focal points. Location of New Infrastructure Existing PWSCC utilities and circulation infrastructure (access roads, parking, pedestrian) at current locations, are generally sufficient to serve the campus over the life of this plan. Adjustments may be required if the existing campus building is expanded, and associated with student housing upgrades. Anticipated circulation and parking infrastructure changes are illustrated on the map, page 36. Upgrades to existing infrastructure and facilities will be by far a greater need than new infrastructure, given the age of the main building (44 years+) and associated Because of snow issues, landscaping should be concentrated in protected focal points or located in removable planters. Existing spruce under the front facade need to be re-located. 38 Prince William Sound Community College University of Alaska Anchorage

4 Installing additional trees and landscaping is recommended where feasible to provide better site definition, screening, and massing complimentary to the campus and adjacent parkland. Concepts are generally shown in the illustrated map. Recommended species include spruce and male cottonwood trees which do not shed cotton. Other tree species may suffer from bending over and/or breaking under the heavy snow load. Woody landscape materials and alpine perennials also are appropriate and should either match species currently used on site, or be chosen for their known survivability given local snow and maritime conditions. Artful use of outdoor sculpture, such as the existing totem poles and carvings, and flags, can continue to be used for effective accent in the campus landscape. Boulders, bollards, movable planters, and large permanent planter boxes are enhancements that work with the snow situation and can help direct circulation. Finally, existing spruce trees directly south of the campus building will need to be re-located before they grow into the overhang. Open Space Open space on the PWSCC campus includes several paved outdoor areas adjacent to the building with some overhangs to provide shelter from the rain and snow. Planters, seating areas, and southern exposure create nice opportunities for students to gather outdoors, although none of the spaces are very large and typical weather conditions limit the use. Because these areas are immediately adjacent to the main building, they do attract smokers. Ideally, a covered gazebo could be located in the nearby park, or a covered smoking area be established on campus, well-away from entry doors and opening windows. It is anticipated that future building expansion may convert the covered outdoor plaza adjacent to the museum into interior space. If the north-side building addition is also completed, and auto circulation and parking are all relocated to the south side of the campus (except a limited use service drive on the north) a new outdoor open space can be created on the east side of the building. This could be designed as a preferred entry for students walking from student housing, as it is located directly alongside the main park walkway. Associated with student housing, a small outdoor area exists which is important for both winter snow storage and supporting student s quality of life. Improvements could include trees, pathways, a covered patio, and maintenance of the existing sculpture and planting bed. In addition to on-site open space, PWSCC s campus and student housing are adjacent to many acres of public parkland with developed recreational facilities. Although not owned by the University, improvements to this open space that enhance student use are recommended as a win-win community investment opportunity. The park strip is owned, managed, and maintained by the City of Valdez. Based on its proximity, the campus should work on an ongoing basis with the City Parks and Recreation Department and Maintenance Staff in a cooperative approach on key issues into the future: PWSCC s campus is surrounded by acres of public open space in the form of a linear park strip in the center of town. Campus Facility Master Plan Section Six - Master Facility Plan 39

5 Signage Given the community scale of Valdez and the PWSCC campus site, wayfinding needs primarily are associated with directing visitors to the Whitney Museum. Rehabilitation of the PWSCC front building facade and nameplate, which is currently deteriorating, however should be a priority in the near future. PWSCC signage on its main building will need upgrades in the near future as the wood is showing signs of deterioration. - Snow storage management and pedestrian trail clearing are needed to ensure safe and direct access for pedestrians between student housing and the campus. The Park Department Maintenance typically clears snow, although the college should communicate and work with the city to make path clearing a priority. - Scoop the poop signage, education, and receptacles are needed improve the usability of the pathway and the park through the winter and spring. - Existing pathway lighting should be maintained. - A linear row of trees may be desirable as a screen from the park if a vehicular access and delivery area is located the rear of the campus including a motorpool. - Additionally, as the City of Valdez plans capital improvements associated with the park, PWSCC should be an active participant in determining projects. For example the existing playground facility at the southern edge of the campus parking lot is isolated from similar activities, and is not directly related to the college. As the playground ages and needs to be replaced, there may be a more advantageous location in town, given that the college facility is no longer an elementary school. On the other hand, adding a gazebo in this area, even a small one, could create a year-round space for college use while also serving playing children s parents. The space could also be used as a shell for bands and performances, serve as an outdoor classroom, and even be of use during the theater conference. PWSCC signage should respond to local environmental conditions, including extremely deep snow and coastal weather, and also respect local city zoning and aesthetic standards. Additionally, PWSCC has developed its own branding scheme, including fonts and colors. Future signage should reflect this branding in addition to UAA s campus Signage and Way-Finding Guidelines. Key points from this plan include: Consolidate and simplify signage to avoid visual clutter and confusion. Use signage as an element of continuity and UAA identity throughout the campus. Locate signage in predictable locations to aid visitor orientation. Coordinate placement of signage and lighting to ensure legibility during hours of darkness. Accommodate the differing viewpoints of drivers, cyclists and pedestrians to whom signs are addressed. This will influence placement and scale of signs. In adhering to UAA s wayfinding and signage guidelines, there should be flexibility based on appropriateness to PWSCC s campus and small town setting, and adopted branding guidelines which are presented following. PWSCC Branding Guidelines (adapted for signage): In order to create and maintain a widely recognized identity as a progressive yet stable educational institution, all signage should have a common aesthetic cohesiveness. With this in mind, certain type fonts, colors, and logo placements should be incorporated so that they are recognizable as PWSCC. PWSCC has specific branding guidelines that include official school colors of blue and yellow shown above. There is also an offical red to be used in association with the Whitney Museum. 40 Prince William Sound Community College University of Alaska Anchorage

6 Architectural Guidelines PWSCC has done an admirable job of maintaining a cohesive campus appearance over the past 30 years, particularly when considering that the building started as an elementary school. New development should continue to be connected to the existing building, and provide a cohesive visual appearance. The existing wood campus facade is becoming dilapidated, and as this is replaced or updated, grey-tones that match the museum exterior should be added across the front of the facade to help tie the building colors together. Beyond overall visual cohesion and aesthetics, several other architectural issues are of critical importance on future projects: - Structural Issues: New buildings should anticipate Valdez extreme snow loads and seismic issues. Recent upgrades to signage include the sign pictured above which uses LED lighting for energy savings. The official type font used when the initials PWSCC or the words Prince William Sound Community College are published, used as an identifying title, should be Goudy Old Style. This should not be bolded, as it changes the letter forms. The initials PWSCC should not have a period after each letter (P.W.S.C.C.). The school seal should be placed preferably either on the top left or bottom left portion of the sign depending on the design. The school seal should not be altered in any way, and should only be used as black or navy on another color or white, metallic gold, or transparent upon another color or a combination of the school s official blue and/or yellow which should be used for all official signs whenever design allows: PWSCC BLUE: Pantone PMS #293; C:95 M:61 Y:1 K:16; R:0 G:70 B:173; Hex#0046ad PWSCC Gold: Pantone PMS #116; C:0 M:15 Y:100 K:8; R:255 G:203 B:0; Hex#ffcb00 The Whitney Museum has a third official color which can and should be used in signage. The Whitney Museum logo can be used in full color of brown, grey and red. It can also be used as black, brown, gray, or red on another color, or white, metallic gold, or transparent upon another color. This color is: Whitney Museum Red: Pantone 187: R=172 G=26 B=47; C=22 M=100 Y=85 K=14; Hex=ac1a2f. - Energy Efficiency: New construction should be designed for energy savings given the high heating and energy costs in Valdez, and new UA energy policies. Consideration should include taking advantage of solar gain and daylight through windows that also will enhance student comfort and performance. - Scenic Resources: Valdez and PWSCC buildings are surrounded by stunning mountain and coastal scenery and an attractive park. New window placement and building design should seek to frame these views. - Materials: Building materials that will be exposed to the weather and elements should consist of high grade, durable materials. An up-front greater investment can reduce replacement and maintenance costs, an important consideration given the high transportation and construction costs associated with any project in Valdez (typically 30% higher than Anchorage). New building construction must take into account Valdez extreme snow loads and use durable materials that stand up well over time given the wet maritime climate. Campus Facility Master Plan Section Six - Master Facility Plan 41

7 - Multi-Use & Flexible Spaces: Finally, projects on campus should be programmed and designed for maximum flexibility into the future. The shifting economy and demographic changes are likely to create unforeseen changes and demands that this planning effort was unable to anticipate. Environmental and Cultural Issues Valdez climate and cultural context are important to the campus in many ways, but given the urban nature of the campus setting, there are not site-specific environmental or cultural/archeological issues. PWSCC should continue to utilize Native arts on campus reflective of all of Alaska s Native cultures and design facilities with its Native population in mind so as to create a culturally-appropriate and welcoming setting. This use of cultural elements also will appeal to other target populations including out-of-state students, visitors to the Whitney Museum, and participants in the annual theater conference. ADA Access PWSCC has made some upgrades but has a long way to go to be ADA accessible at its main campus. Only one main building entrance provides an ADA ramp. Student Housing has accessibility issues and an ADA ramp only at Copper Basin Hall. To the extent possible, this issue will need to be addressed in association with the current student housing improvement project. Energy Conservation Improve the cost of ownership through the use of technology, materials and management. Campus Relations to Neighbors & Municipalities The Valdez Campus is centrally located within a public park, in a residential neighborhood, at the heart of a small town. The need to maintain good relations and serve critical local needs is well-understood on campus. The college is very effective at building partnerships with local government and corporate interests. As the oil revenues and flow diminish, and city revenues from taxing the pipeline also diminish, maintaining these relationships, and partnering with the community will remain critically important. Symbolically, all existing PWSCC buildings in Valdez reflect a spirit of partnership between the college, local government, and other entities. For example, the main campus and the student housing buildings were both All of PWSCC s facilities, including the new Whitney Museum, have been obtained or developed as a direct result of partnering at the local, regional, and state level. sold to the University for $10 to allow adaptive re-use. The Consortium Library is a shared PWSCC/City facility. The new Museum is essentially a state and regional resource located on-campus. The Wellness Center was developed using corporate donations and the whole town can pay to use the campus wellness facilities. Given this track record, PWSCC may identify new facility and site-related partnerships that respond to local needs, resources, and conditions. Any specific site infrastructure and facility planning is expected to be carefully coordinated with local governments, and be consistent with applicable community ordinances, standards and land use plan recommendations. The relationship between the community and PWSCC is vital to both parties. The community college provides education, training, and serves as cultural and social center and in return, the community provide important resources and funding in support of the college. General Priorities for Capital Projects Facility needs of the campus are addressed through the capital process. Based on the findings of this plan and Strategic and Academic plans, capital needs will be assessed on an annual basis. Following are general priorities for capital projects over the life of this plan: 1) Upgrade and Maintain Aging Facilities - Given the lifespan of the main campus building and 42 Prince William Sound Community College University of Alaska Anchorage

8 student housing, facility maintenance, upgrades, and incremental improvements over time will be essential to supporting long-term facility use. Specific needs for main campus building upgrades are extensive and are not covered here, but range in scale from small to large. An ongoing list of anticipated needs, issues and costs should be generated and updated regularly by PWSCC maintenance staff. A predictable annual funding stream for upgrades in phases is highly recommended. This incremental approach can help ensure that materials and skills are locally available when needed, keep costs more reasonable, and potentially scale projects to enable local contractors to bid successfully. 2) Interior Space Planning and Improvements, and Expansion - Portions of the campus are not as successful as they could be because of the real design limitations of transforming an elementary school into a college. Student services and the commons area in particular both meet needs, but in a hampered way. Both areas have issues with noise, lighting, space configurations, location of doorways, circulation, the balance of privacy vs. socializing, furniture, etc. These spaces should be assessed to see if it is realistic to make functional changes that are more in line with the needs of a college campus. If not, the existing spaces should be divided to create classrooms and/or private offices, and a new building extension designed to support these specific uses in a more functional layout. 3) Flexible New Spaces - Any new classroom or addition of space should to be planned for maximum flexibility. As regional conditions and employment options change, PWSCC will need to continue to be responsive to needs that it cannot always foresee. Just as PWSCC developed the wired-in approach, the campus may find that in the future it needs to adjust again to best deliver education to those who need it. Flexible spaces could be valuable in helping the college respond. Specifically, this should include a larger seat lecture hall for academic use and industrial training, designed to be used in flexible ways, with dividers and sound control. 4) Off-Site Spaces - Although the majority of campus programs in the main building need to stay proximate to maintain a cohesive campus approach, if necessary, existing uses can be relocated off-campus to make needed room and sometimes realize cost savings. For example, the Wellness Center although very nice to have on campus could be located in a new Community Room dividers and furnishings can support wired-in students and create a physical setting for class participation and study that more closely matches what is provided on campus. Recreation facility, potentially located in the Valdez Junior High old facility. As the population declines, creative re-use of old spaces and facilities in Valdez may be the most cost-effective route to achieving more space on campus. Another example would be to not try to provide coffee and a snack bar on campus, but let the private sector provide this off-campus instead. Book orders could be handled independently, without an on-campus store. The extra square feet could become a staff lounge, a quiet study space, or be used for IT staff and storage. Other PWSCC Campus Sites Although UA does not own the facilities of either the Copper Basin or the Cordova campuses, some consideration should be made at both these sites for working with local partners to create larger, higher quality spaces, potentially to own, or to lease. Additionally, associated with the rural wired-in sites, UA should maintain some flexible funds to support facility upgrades and furnishings where they are needed in rural outreach campus sites to make the site function adequately in support of student success. An example would be the purchase and installation of a room divider in the Chitina Village Hall, which is needed to help block views and sounds for students using the Polycom equipment. Campus Facility Master Plan Section Six - Master Facility Plan 43

9 End Notes Chapter 1 Page 2 - PWSCC enrollment and employee data, fall term correspondence with Shannon Foster, PWSCC registrar, Page 4 - PWSCC Strategic Enrollment Management Plan, Page 5 - < ; Various UA land title documents (see appendix A); < Page 6 - U.S. Census Data, 2008 Population Estimates; Prince William Sound Economic Development District Report, 2008; Valdez Comprehensive Development Plan, Page 7 - PWSCC Strategic Enrollment Management Plan, Chapter 3 Page correspondence with Susan Harding, Campus Coordinator, PWSCC, Cordova, Page correspondence with Suzanne McCarthy, Campus Coordinator, PWSCC, Cordova, Page 24 and 25 - UAA Campus Facilities Master Plan Meeting Input, September 19, Chapter 4 Pages 26, 27 and 28 - PWSCC Institutional Plan. Pages 29, 30 and 31 - UAA Campus Facilities Master Plan Meeting Input, September 19, 2008 including: - PWSCC Master Planning Steering Committee Meeting with Doug Desourcie, President; Steve Shiell, Business Office; Bill Painte, Student Services; Melanie Botulinski, Training Department; and Wes Lundburg, Dean of Instruction. - Master Planning workshop attended by 28 PWSCC staff, faculty, students and community members. - Campus tour with PWSCC staff, including Charlie Sasse, Maintenance Lead; Doug Desourcie, President; Steve Shiell, Business Office. Chapter 5 Page 32 - University of Alaska Anchorage FY 09 PWSCC Incremental Request Form. Page 33 and 34- correspondence with Howard Morse, UAA Facilities Planning & Construction, Valdez Campus Facilities Project Manager, Special thanks also to Andrew Goldstein, Curator of Collections and Exhibits, Valdez Museum & Historical Archive for providing historical photos and background associated with the Growden-Harrison School, and to Laura Robertson with the City of Valdez Community Development Department, for providing aerials and parcel data for the campus vicinity. 44 Prince William Sound Community College University of Alaska Anchorage

10 PRINCE WILLIAM SOUND COMMUNITY COLLEGE Campus Facility Master Plan Appendix A Building Floor Plans & Documents of Record - Main Campus (Valdez) - Student Housing (Valdez) - Cordova Extension (Cordova) - Copper Basin Extension (Glennallen)